Laura enjoyed hearing praise for her father. It made her proud and gave her the tiniest insight as to who he was.
It only took a couple of minutes to reach the school, and before Laura knew it, Edward was helping her down and then assisting his wife and daughter. They made such a sweet little family, and Laura already held them dear.
Inside the schoolhouse, they were immediately greeted by a man who seemed to be in charge. “I’m Reverend Cather. We’re so glad you could be with us.”
“I’m Laura Evans. My father is Granite Evans. You might know him.”
“I do, indeed. There was a small article in theLeaderabout you coming here after finishing your education back east. You are quite welcome to join us.”
“I had no idea there was an article.” Laura found it strange something like that would be city news. “But thank you for the welcome.”
As he turned to greet someone else, Melody Decker came to greet Laura and introduce her to the tall man at her side. “This is Charlie, my husband. Charlie, this is Granite Evans’s daughter, Laura. We met her at the store the other day and plan to be good friends.”
Laura gave Charlie a nod. “I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Decker.”
“Please call me Charlie. I get enough of being called Mr. Decker by my students.” He grinned and took hold of his wife’s arm. “I know your father quite well, Miss Evans. He heads up a businessmen’s consortium to which I belong. He seems to know a lot about so much. I enjoy hearing him speak.”
“I’m delighted to know he’s well thought of. The Vogels were just singing his praises. It does my heart good. Oh, and please call me Laura.”
“The name Granite Evans is widely respected in Cheyenne. I wouldn’t be surprised to find him our new governor since we’ve heard that he’s also well-known to President-elect Grant,” Melody added.
“Goodness, wouldn’t that be exciting.” Laura wasn’t sure what else to say. She knew her father would love nothing more. Still, it seemed prideful to boast of his plans to see that very thing put in motion.
Edward Vogel came up to them. “We’d better get to our seats. Reverend Cather is taking his place.”
Laura glanced around the room as they made their way to the second row of seats. There were about fifty people gathered for worship.
She quickly found herself swept up by the congregation’s joy and enthusiastic singing. By the time they had prayed and sung several hymns, she felt right at home.
The pastor preached from the book of Luke, still focusing somewhat on the Christmas story, the shepherds, in particular. Laura found it made up for having missed services on Christmas Day.
By the time the service was over and the benediction offered, she knew that she wanted to continue with this congregation. The service was simple and yet heartfelt, and the atmosphere of the worshipers was most sincere. Afterward, people came to meet her and were more than friendly.
“This is Granny Taylor,” Melody told her as an older woman came to greet Laura. “Granny and her husband, Jed, are some of my dearest friends.”
“It’s good to meet you, Miss Evans,” Granny Taylor declared. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Melody and, of course, from your father. He was quite excited that you were to move here to be with him.”
“You know my father?” Laura asked.
“Everyone knows him,” the old woman declared. “I shop at his department store, and he’s always very welcoming. And lately your coming to Cheyenne was all he could talk about.”
Her words warmed Laura’s heart. She hadn’t known that her father had made her pending arrival known to the town. The thought made her happy. She wanted so much for this reunion to be the perfect conclusion to years of isolation and loneliness. Healing had taken time, and Laura was determined not to resent the years she’d lost to grief.
Will glanced across the room to where his friends were gathered. There was a new young woman in the middle of the group. He couldn’t help but wonder who she was. Charlie waved him over, and seeing that he could hardly ignore the invitation, Will joined them.
“Wilson Porter, this is Laura Evans, Granite Evans’s daughter. She’s newly come to live with him here in Cheyenne.”
Will gazed deeply into her brown eyes and, for a moment, felt a bit overwhelmed. When she smiled, it caused his breath to catch in the back of his throat.
He cleared his throat with a bit of a cough. “Miss Evans.”
“Mr. Porter,” she replied. “I’m pleased to meet you.”
“Will is here awaiting word from the government. He’s a preacher in his own right and plans to work with the Indians,” Charlie explained. “Apparently there are issues to be resolved, however. New treaties and all sorts of details. Poor Will has been waiting since early in the year to be assigned a place to minister.”
“Still, that must be very exciting. I’ve read about the reservation system, but I’ve never seen one in person.”
“At the rate they’re taking, Will’s beginning to wonder if he will see one himself,” Charlie countered. “But we’re happy to have him stick around Cheyenne. He’s a good man.”
